Go gator and muddy the water

by Zora Neale Hurston

Researching a work on the Florida Federal Writers' Project, Pamela Bordelon discovered writings in the collection that were unmistakably from the hand of Zora Neale Hurston, author of Their Eyes Were Watching God and one of the leading writers of the Harlem Renaissance. Most of these works are not well known. All of Hurston's novels draw upon her deep interest in folklore, particularly from Florida, her home state. Here we see the roots of that work, from the captivating folktale of the monstrous alligator living in a local lake to her recording of folk songs and her work on children's games and the black church. Of great interest are the transcriptions of a rare interview with Hurston singing gambling and work songs and telling how she learned them.